You report (“Cabinet to decide on e-tolls in two weeks’ time”, November 1) the comment by transport minister Fikile Mbalula that there are seven options to resolve the current impasse.
One of these is “a public transport fund to prioritise public transport on freeways”.
This is an excellent option. Public transport users already benefit from the fact that E-tolls are not levied on buses and taxis. The challenge is that of getting car users to make the switch. Priority lanes for public transport vehicles would make that option attractive.
However, the ability of public transport services to speed through congested traffic is only one element to be considered by the car user. At least as important is the ease of travel throughout the journey. The experience of Gautrain would seem to suggest that adequate park-and-ride facilities will be essential. Feeder services are unlikely to offer adequate area coverage or hours of operation to compete with the convenience of the private car.
The pachyderm in the parlour is, as usual, the need for enforcement. The car driver will feel an overwhelming urge to use a freeway lane that appears to be lightly trafficked. The e-toll gantries can no doubt be repurposed to identify any such offending vehicles, and the new Aarto Act offers — in principle at least — should have the ability to ensure that the drivers are brought to account.
There will be some traffic engineering issues. The public transport priority lane on the N2 in Cape Town is the outside lane. That makes sense in that this is regarded by the public as the “fast lane”. It is, though, a cause of peak-hour congestion as public transport vehicles try to cross the general traffic lanes to get from and to the on- and off-ramps. The hard shoulder might be a better choice.
But in general, the public transport option is one to be given serious consideration in the debate over E-tolls.
Paul Browning
Pretoria
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